Drywall mud container

ABSTRACT

Conventional drywall mud containers include a cardboard box containing a plastic bag which carries the mud. Mixing of the mud in the container can result in tearing of the bag. This problem is solved by a mud container including an inner solid plastic tub for receiving the mud, a thin closable plastic bag for surrounding the tub, and an outer cardboard box, which carries the bag and the tub. The use of a solid inner tub permits mixing of the mud in the container, and makes it easy to remove all of the mud from the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to a container for a flowable solid material or slurry, and in particular to a drywall mud container.

[0003] Mud for drywall or plasterboard is a slurry which is available in small solid plastic containers for the home handyman. Large quantities of mud are usually packaged in plastic bags carried by cardboard boxes. When the mud sits for a long period of time, the solids settle to the bottom and the liquid portion of the slurry rises to the top of the container. Mixing of the solid and liquid portion of the mud can result in tearing of the bag. Moreover, because the bag is thin-walled, it tends to develop deep folds containing mud which is difficult to remove from an almost empty bag. In fact, in order to remove all of the mud, it is necessary to remove the bag from the box, tear open the bag and scrape the mud from the plastic which is a messy operation.

[0004] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art

[0005] Multi-walled or multi-part containers are described in the patent literature. In this connection, reference is made to Canadian Patent No. 1,327,545, issued to W. E. Lambert on Mar. 8, 1994; Canadian Patent Application No. 2,191,611 (C. D. Ring), published on Oct. 3, 1996, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,096,912, issued to E. J. Rivetette on Jul. 9, 1963; 3,279,657, issued to L. H. Rousselet on Oct. 16, 1966; 3,957,195, issued to T. Lin on May 18, 1976; 5,209,364, issued to J. LaPoint, Jr. on May 11, 1993; 5,944,251, issued to L. LaFleur on Aug. 31, 1999 and 6,000,604, issued to J. H. LaPoint, III on Dec. 14, 1999.

[0006] For the most part the containers disclosed by the literatures do not include flexible, thin-walled inner bags or liners, and thus do not afford a solution to the problems described above.

[0007] The Lambert Canadian patent discloses a multi-receptacle container including an outer cardboard or paperboard box, and an inner, open-ended container or sleeve carried by a plastic bag in the box. The Lambert combination would be ill-adapted to carrying drywall mud, because there appears to be no bottom on the inner container and thus the mud would still be in contact with the plastic bag. Moreover, Lambert is silent with respect to the material used in the internal sleeve, which could well be porous cardboard which is unsuitable for the inner layer of a drywall mud container. In other words, Lambert does not propose a solution to the problems outlined above.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the above-identified problems in the form of a simple drywall mud container, which permits mixing of mud in the container without damage to the latter, and which is relatively easy to empty.

[0009] The object of the invention is achieved by a drywall mud container comprising:

[0010] a solid, plastic inner receptacle for receiving drywall mud;

[0011] a sealable plastic bag for receiving the inner receptacle; and

[0012] an outer box for carrying the plastic bag and the inner receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The invention described below in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

[0014]FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of a container in accordance with the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the container of FIG. 1 in the partly open condition; and

[0016]FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the container of FIGS. 1 and 2 in the fully open condition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, the drywall mud container of the present invention includes three basic elements, namely an inner, solid plastic receptacle or tub 1 for receiving drywall mud 2 (FIG. 3), a thin, sealable plastic bag 3 for receiving the receptacle 1 and an outer box 4 for carrying the bag 3 and the receptacle 1.

[0018] The inner tub 1 is formed of blow molded plastic, and includes a closed bottom end (not shown), an open top end 5 and side walls 6, which will not deform appreciably when the tub is filled with drywall mud 2. While a blow molded plastic container is preferred for the inner tub 1, it will be appreciated that other materials can be used, provided the resulting tub is solid, i.e. retains its shape when filled with mud. Moreover, the inner surface of the tub 1 should be smooth.

[0019] As best shown in FIG. 1, the plastic bag 3 is preferably a thin-walled polyethylene bag with a closed bottom end (not shown), side walls 8 and a drawstring 9 slidable in a hem 10 at the open top end of the bag.

[0020] The outer cardboard or paperboard box 4 is a conventional rectangular box having a closed bottom end (not shown), side walls 12, and four closable flaps 13.

[0021] In use, the tub 1 is placed in the plastic bag 3, and the two elements are inserted into the cardboard box 4. With the bag 3 open, the tub 1 is filled with drywall mud 2. The bag 3 is closed (FIG. 2) by pulling on the drawstring 9, and the box flaps 13 are folded to the closed position (not shown) and sealed. When mud is required, the box 4 and the bag 3 are opened, and the top end of the bag is folded over the top end of the box giving free access to the mud. If the mud requires mixing, i.e. if there has been some separation of solid and liquid portions of the mud, or if a completely homogeneous mixture is desired, the mud can be mixed in the solid-walled tub 1 without fear of damage to the container. Moreover, because the interior of the tub 1 is smooth, virtually all of the mud 2 can be removed from the container. Finally, the inner container can either be re-used or recycled. 

We claim:
 1. A drywall mud container comprising: a solid, plastic inner receptacle for receiving drywall mud; a sealable plastic bag for receiving the inner receptacle; and an outer box for carrying the plastic bag and the inner receptacle.
 2. The drywall mud container of claim 1, wherein said inner receptacle is a blow molded plastic tub.
 3. The drywall mud container of claim 1 or 2, wherein said plastic bag includes an open top end; a hem in said open top end; and a drawstring in said hem for gathering said top end to seal the bag in a closed condition. 